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New Hot Paper Comments

By Professor Luke O'Neill

ESI Special Topics, November 2002
Citing URL - http://www.esi-topics.com/nhp/comments/november-02-LukeONeill.html

Professor Luke O'Neill answers a few questions about this month's new hot paper in the field of Multidisciplinary.

From •>>November 2002

Field: Multidisciplinary
Article Title: "Mal (MyD88-adapter-like) is required for Toll-like receptor-4 signal transduction"
Authors: Fitzgerald, KA;Palsson-McDermott, EM;Bowie, AG;Jefferies, CA;Mansell, AS;Brady, G;Brint, E;Dunne, A;Gray, P;Harte, MT;McMurray, D;Smith, DE;Sims, JE;Bird, TA;O'Neill, LAJ
Journal: NATURE
Volume: 413
Page: 78-83
Year: SEP 6 2001
* Univ Dublin Trinity Coll, Dept Biochem, Dublin 2, Ireland.
* Univ Dublin Trinity Coll, Dept Biochem, Dublin 2, Ireland.
* Immunex Res & Dev Corp, Seattle, WA 98101 USA.

ST:  Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

The paper is in a very hot area at the moment - Toll-like receptors. This field is really only 3 or 4 years old and its making a major contribution to our understanding of how the immune system recognises and responds to microbial products.Top row from left = Prof. Luke O'Neill, Gareth Brady (Ph.D. student) and Dr. Caroline Jeffries. Bottom row from left = Pearl Gray (Ph.D. student) and Dr. Aisling Dunne.

ST:  Does it describe a new discovery or new methodology that's useful to others?

The discovery was of a protein which we named Mal that is involved specifically in signal transduction by Toll-like receptor-4, the receptor for LPS, which comes from gram negative bacteria and causes septic shock.

ST:  What were some of the circumstances that led you to do this research?

We were searching genomic databases for homologues of a protein called MyD88 which is another adapter for Tol-like receptor signalling. We found the sequence for Mal in an EST library from dendritic cells.

ST:  Could you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?

Our discovery provides an important cog in the machine which is turned on in our immune systems by bacteria. Once switched on, the immune system becomes mobilised, leading to the elimination of the infection. Infections however can become dangerous and can cause an over-activation of our immune systems, which can actually do injury to our own bodies in a manner akin to 'friendly fire'. The protein we discovered if over-activated may lead to such damage and so would be a drug target for conditions such as septic shock.

Professor Luke O'Neill
Department of Biochemistry
Trinity College
Dublin 2
Ireland

ESI Special Topics, November 2002
Citing URL - http://www.esi-topics.com/nhp/comments/november-02-LukeONeill.html

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